WHERE IT COMES FROM
Cobán. Alta Verapaz. 1,300 – 1,800 meters.
Guatemala's traditional cardamom heartland and, where Quetzal's supply lives.
THE PROFILE
Why Guatemalan cardamom.
Guatemala and India produce most of the world's cardamom. The Guatemalan profile runs brighter; eucalyptus and citrus over India's earthier, more savoury notes. Craft chocolatiers and distillers reach for it when cardamom is meant to lead a formulation rather than support one.
THE ENVIROMENT
Alta Verapaz. The shaded understory.
Cardamom grows in the shaded understory of Alta Verapaz's cloud forest at 1,300 to 1,800 meters; the same elevation band, often the same farms, as high-grown coffee. Hand-picked, sorted by colour and calibration, dried in small batches from late August through January.
THE SUPPLY
The Cobán region.
Cobán is the historical centre of the Guatemalan cardamom industry — and where Quetzal's supply lives. We source from a cooperative for organic-capable volume and an independent estate for the single-estate line. Two qualified suppliers behind every shipment, by design.
HOW WE SOURCE
Top-qualified suppliers behind every shipment, from day one. One cooperative and one independent estate. Single-source is a procurement risk we do not accept, even when the price is right.
Pre-shipment inspection on every container, by SGS or an equivalent third party. The PSI certificate ships with the bill of lading and is available to any buyer on request before purchase.
Direct relationships with both suppliers. We pay on agreed payment terms, no off-book discounts, no consignment, no late-payment penalties used as a negotiation lever. Specialty supply is a long game; treating suppliers like adversaries is how you lose the lot you actually want.
We do not claim fair-trade without certification. When organic-certified product is on the manifest, we say so and ship the COR/NOP-equivalent paperwork with the container. When it isn't, we say that too.
We publish what we pay on request, to qualified buyers who care about it. The number is a useful proxy for whether the producer is being treated as a partner or a vendor.
